


Call It Pilot Solidarity

by legendaryroar



Series: James and Keith Week 2018 [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 09:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15969371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendaryroar/pseuds/legendaryroar
Summary: Keith is grounded until medical clears him for flight.





	Call It Pilot Solidarity

**Author's Note:**

> For James and Keith Week Day 3 – **Earth / Sky** / ~~Space~~.

It doesn’t take as long as Keith expects. The roof access door swings open, and he feels himself go tense. There’s a pause, but he refuses to look over. He keeps his gaze up, fixed on the sky. The door clicks closed, and he knows better than to assume whoever it is left. As footsteps approach him, he sighs.

He won’t get up. He refuses. It may not be comfortable lying on the roof, but it’s better being up here and alone than being in the halls of the Garrison, subjected to pointing and whispering. And it’s better to be looking up at the sky than being inside while grounded.

The doctors are just trying to cover their asses by giving him a long, compulsory medical leave. They have no clue how fast he can recover and won’t listen to him about it.

“What did those clouds do to deserve that look?”

_James_ .

Keith wants to cringe. Of all the people to find him up here, it just had to be him.

“What do you want?” he asks, not looking away from the sky.

James is silent and Keith fights the urge to look at him. He’s not standing close enough to be within his line of sight, and he refuses to move. He wishes he’d leave.

“Couldn’t find you. No one else knew where you were, but your lion was still with the others so...”

Maybe Keith should have just taken Black and gone somewhere. Could anyone really stop him? It’s his lion. He’s the only one who can pilot it, except maybe Shiro, if he tried. He’ s been barred from flying, but really,  _can_ they stop him?

Ever since waking and being told to stay in bed, he’s been itching to find out the limits of Garrison authority over him.

“Thought you might be up here,” James says, before moving close enough that Keith can see him towering over him.

“Why?” he asks, even though he really doesn’t want to know. James should have left him alone, what’s the point of this?

James looks up, leaning back slightly. He’s wearing civilian clothes, and it’s so jarring Keith can’t look away. “It’s what I do when I get grounded. Can’t be up there, and this is as close as you can get.”

Keith snorts before he can stop himself. “When have you ever been grounded? You’ve been nothing but a stickler for the rules since you got here. They’d never ground their favourite pilot.”

Shaking his head, James sits down, stretching his legs out and leaning back with his hands planted behind him. He stares up at the sky with the same wistful expression Keith can feel in himself.

“I’ve made some bad calls. You don’t get as good as I do at leading without some fuck ups along the way. Best and worst way to learn.”

Keith vividly recalls his first mission as the Black Paladin and shudders.

“What do you want?” he asks again.

“To talk,” James says, like it’s so easy. “Or were you planning on avoiding me for the foreseeable future?”

“That would be preferable,” Keith mutters, fixing his gaze on a cloud that looks like a fox. “What is there to talk about anyway? I was high on a painkillers and you pushed me away. There’s nothing to talk about.”

James looks down at him and Keith wants to cover his face. He still can’t believe it. He wishes he couldn’t remember it. Of all the things to do, he’d tried to kiss James. Just like that time they’d all sneaked out onto the roof and got drunk after the Kerberos launch. The one time he’d actually gone along with the others, just to distract himself from his one friend leaving. Only he’d just wound up getting drunk and trying to kiss James when he’d helped him back to his room.

So many years  ago now and he went and did the same thing. 

“You know, it’s not the first time you’ve—”

“I’m well aware,” Keith snaps, sitting up in one smooth motion and levelling a glare at him. “Just forget it.”

“Oh, like I forgot you trying to kiss me the night of the Kerberos launch?” James says, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly like that,” Keith says. “I was drunk then and high on pain meds this time.”

James stares at him, and Keith feels oddly naked under his gaze. Enough years have passed that it shouldn’t be so surprising that James is different, more serious,  and it isn’t really, he’s been noticing since seeing him again, but at the same time, it  _is_ surprising . He was easier to deal with when Keith could bait him into a fight and into forgetting whatever they were talking about.

“Why did you visit me anyway?” he asks. “I’m not on your team. There was no need to come and see me.”

“I didn’t.”

Keith frowns. “You didn’t what? Visit me? Oh, so I hallucinated that then? Great. Remind me never to let Garrison doctors choose my pain meds in future.”

James looks away. “I didn’t forget. You trying to kiss me that night when you were drunk.  I didn’t forget. ”

That’s not what  Keith ’s expecting to hear.  James looks back up at the sky and groans. “Come on, Keith. You think you’re so forgettable? My sim scores dropped for weeks after that.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it and you were acting like it didn’t even happen. I thought  _you_ forgot.”

“Nothing did happen,” Keith says with a frown. Of all the reasons for James to come looking for him, it’s this? To bring up that stupid thing he did years ago? Just because he was out of his mind from painkillers and did it again? He probably would have tried to kiss anyone. Even if...even if this time he sort of hasn’t been able to stop thinking about what it might have been like if James had let him. Even if...even if he’s been thinking about why he tried to do that and isn’t coming up as empty-handed as he expected. 

“If you tried to kiss me while _not_ under the influence, that would be a different story,” James sa ys, meeting his gaze.

“What is this, some kind of joke?” Keith asks, getting to his feet. James follows, looking guarded, and Keith shoves him. “How many years has it been? And you still can’t leave me alone? I thought you were better than that now.”

James reache s out and grab s Keith by the collar, pulling him in until they  ar e uncomfortably close. “ _You_ tried to kiss  _me_ , Keith. I just want to know if that’s really something you want or not. I don’t want this to be like back when we were cadets. I don’t want to pretend it never happened. I want to  _know_ .”

Being this close to him again makes it hard to breath. But his head isn’t all woozy this time to explain it. Which lines up with what he’s been thinking every time he tries to figure out why he tried to kiss him again. Or, rather, what he’s been trying _not_ to think.

Of all the people to be attracted to, why someone he has such a bad history with?

“Keith,” James prompts quietly. “Just tell me yes or no, did you really want to kiss me or was it the drugs?”

Keith’s breath catches in his throat. James is being surprisingly good about this, really, which only makes it harder. If he teased him then Keith could just slip back into hating him, but he isn’t. That might change if Keith reveals he hasn’t ever kissed anyone, something that still makes his face burn with embarrassment. He doesn’t think being stuck in a void of time for two years makes that any less pathetic.

James sighs and lets him go, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are infuriating,” he mutters.

“Piss off then.”

James looks him in the eye. “Is that what you want?”

Keith can’t stop himself from looking at James’ mouth. He wishes he didn’t remember being high from the pain meds and wanting it so badly. He hasn’t wanted anyone like that before. It makes him wonder what might have happened if he hadn’t been kicked out of the Garrison. It had been a distraction then, trying to kiss him after the Kerberos launch, he knows that, but if he had stuck around...might he have wanted it anyway? Like he does now?

“Infuriating,” James mutters again, stepping forward and reaching out. He cups Keith’s face and leans close.

Keith stops breathing.

“Look, Keith, I want to kiss you. I’m attracted to you even though you’re an asshole most of the time. I’m curious to get to know you again now that we’re not stupid teenagers. But I’m not interested in pushing you. I’m right here. Kiss me if you want to, or push me away. We both know you can.”

“I don’t...”

James make a low growling sound. “You don’t _what_? You don’t want me to kiss you? You don’t want to push me away? Your body language is telling me you want this, Keith. Just use your fucking words! It’s not that fucking complicated. It’s just a kiss! It’s not hard!”

“It is when I haven’t done it before!” Keith snaps without thinking.

James pulls back abruptly, eyes wide. “What?”

“Fuck,” Keith sighs, closing his eyes. He keeps them closed. He doesn’t want to see James’ reaction to that. He could make his life hell with that. If Lance finds out, he knows he’ll never hear the end of it and they are just starting to really get along.

Shit, if Pidge and Hunk find out...

Warm hands cup his cheeks again and Keith flinches, his eyes flying open to see James right up close again.

“You should have said,” James says quietly, as if it’s _normal_. “How about this then, _I’ll_ kiss _you_. I’m going to kiss you, so if you don’t want that to happen, all you have to do is step back and it won’t happen. You can take your time too, I’ll move slow. Or you can hit me, you’d probably prefer that.”

He smiles, and Keith can’t help but rolls his eyes at him.

With a soft laugh, James brushes his thumb over Keith’s cheek, and then leans a little closer. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Keith tenses, but doesn’t move. This is easier, he realises, as James moves in slowly. He wants it, but he can’t _say_ it. Like saying it means he has to explain it, but letting James do it is just so much easier.

James is looking at him so intensely, so seriously, that Keith closes his eyes. His face is burning, but when he feels James’ breath on his lips, he leans into it. It’s really not _that_ amazing, he thinks, as their lips press softly. It’s over before it’s even really begun.

“Say something or do something if you want me to stop,” James whispers, and then he’s back.

One of his hands moves to hold the nape of Keith’s neck while the other remains cupping his cheek. Their lips touch and press, and then James breaks away for a moment only to come right back. His fingers scratch gently at the nape of Keith’s neck and he shivers and tries to kiss back.

Unsure what to do with his hands, he just brings them to James’ sides. It seems to spur James on, and he kisses with more pressure, his breath hot over Keith’s cheek and his lips parting.

Before Keith can worry about that, James pulls back again. He shifts the hand cupping Keith’s face, brushing a thumb against Keith’s lips before stepping back completely.

“Well, you didn’t punch me,” he says. “That’s a good sign.”

“I still can if you really want me too,” Keith mutters, trying to catch his breath as he realises he’s breathing far too fast.

Just a kiss. He’s embarrassing himself.

Only, James isn’t laughing at him. “Relax, Keith,” he says, reaching out and resting a hand on his shoulder. It brings Keith’s attention to the fact he’s gone tense, and he forces himself to relax. “It’s no big deal. Some people just take more time than others. You’ve been stuck in space, I’m not that much of an asshole that I’d mock you for it.”

Keith snorts disbelievingly. The James he used to know would have, but he supposes that’s the point. They don’t really know each other anymore. James may have blown up at them early on, but he’d calmed down again pretty fast and proved to be a great leader, nothing like that asshole he had been. Maybe that’s why Keith can notice he’s so attracted to him.

Shit, he wants to kiss him again.

“If you tell anyone, I’ll kick your ass,” he says instead.

James grins. “You can try. I’m better at hand-to-hand than I used to be!”

Keith scoffs and looks around the rooftop, then up at the sky.

“Do you want to go up?” James asks.

“What?”

James points at the sky.

Keith glares at him. “You know I’m grounded until medical clears me.”

With a shrug, James folds his arms. “You’re forbidden from flying any craft until medical clears you, you aren’t technically forbidden from riding along with someone else.”

“Didn’t think a stickler for the rules like you would bend the phrasing like that,” he mutters, trying to figure out his angle.

James laughs. “Stop being so damn suspicious. The MFEs can seat two. I know I go crazy being stuck on the ground and I bet you’re the same. Let me take you up for a while.”

Keith narrows his eyes at him. “What’s the catch.”

James shakes his head. “There’s no catch. Didn’t I already make it clear that I want to get to know you better? That means spending time with you. We both like flying so...” He gestures at the sky again.

Heat rushes to Keith’s face. “Are you...asking me on a _date_?”

James shrugs. “I’m game if you are. Offer still stands either way though. Call it pilot solidarity if you want.”

Keith looks up at the sky again. He’s only delaying the inevitable. He’d do anything to get up there again.

“Alright,” he says.

James grins and they head for the roof access. “And about the kissing,” James says. “I’m game for more of that too, so...let me know?”

Keith’s face burns but he nods, unable to stop himself from looking at James’ lips. They twist into a smug smirk. It only makes Keith want to kiss him more. But he’d rather go up in the air, and has a feeling they might not get there if he kisses James now.

“I’ll let you know,” he says, feigning disinterest.

He doesn’t think James buys it, since he can still feel his face burning, but, along with all the other surprises today, he doesn’t call Keith on it. He just grins and leads him off the roof and towards the hangars.

**Author's Note:**

> ...they're on Earth and...they look at the sky a lot? I don't even know, I hope this fits the prompts, I struggled with it so much and I'm not very happy with it but I didn't have time to try and write something else =(
> 
> You can find me at [legendaryroar](http://legendaryroar.tumblr.com) on tumblr.


End file.
